


Bonding over Blonds

by aceofhearts88



Series: STRIKE Team Alpha Series [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bonding Time, Bucky Barnes & Clint Barton Friendship, Bucky Barnes & Tony Stark Friendship, Pre-Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Winterhawk Beginnings hinted at
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 23:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6214579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceofhearts88/pseuds/aceofhearts88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony gets a midnight guest down in the workshop, finds out a surprising detail about Steve and makes a new friend.</p><p>--</p><p>Set in the STA Universe but can totally be read as a fluffy and funny stand alone. All you would have to know is that Clint brought Bucky in, and Steve and Tony are dancing around each other and the something between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bonding over Blonds

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that trailer happened and who doesn't need a pick me up after that rollercoaster ride into pain, feels and hell.

"Can I come in?"

Simple question, asked in a quiet voice that still somehow made it through the creating haze in Tony's head and the engineer looked up, catching sight of the man leaning against the open doorway of his workshop. The dark blue hoodie Tony could quickly identify as having been taken from Steve's closet, the soft fabric, the adorable little shield doodle on the back, Pepper had done so right in buying that one.

"Sure, find a seat, Barnes." He answered and waved a hand around before going back to the delicate arrowheads on the table. Clint would better cry when he saw these, otherwise Tony was going to have words with him.  
"Bucky..." the soft reply had him stop again, brown eyes looking up in surprise, catching troubled blue eyes over a distance of some feet as the other man pulled up a spinning chair and sat down on it, only the table between them, "If you want...you can call me Bucky, Stark."

Tony raised an eyebrow in reaction, surprised over the vulnerability in the brunet's voice, the Bucky Barnes he had seen in the last five days had been different, had looked stronger and certainly more put together than Tony would have expected. Even though he barely knew what he should have expected, he had been way too busy worrying over Steve's pale white face when Barton had called in that he was bringing a good old friend home from Russia.

"Well, Bucky, what can I do for you at this nightly hour? Not really the one you should seek out for comfort, you'll find better company in Steve. Or Clint, the two of you certainly seem to get along already." He quipped, as always trying to lighten the situation with some humor, Bucky snorted and dragged a hand through his hair, Tony tried not to get too distracted by it.

"Steve's asleep. Clint was pretending not to be too tired until he clonked out on me ten minutes ago. They need to get some rest." Setting another finished arrowhead down, Tony set both hands down on the table and leaned against it.  
"And you don't? Don't get offended, Terminator, but you look like shit." His confession was met with another snort and dry lips briefly flickering up into a hesitant smile.

"Shouldn't I be saying the same to you? Why aren't you asleep?" Bucky shot right back at him and Tony grinned, picked up an arrowhead to throw it at the other man, the metal hand snapped up and caught it easily, turning it over in his palm to examine it.  
"Oh no, this is not how it's gonna be. We don't answer questions with even more questions here." Tony argued and this time it was Bucky who raised an eyebrow, deadpanning at him.

"I don't believe a word you're saying, Stark," came the dry response that had Tony chuckle, moving over to the counter to get himself another cup of coffee, looking over his shoulder on second thought and sending a questioning look over to the other man, but Bucky shook his head.  
"It's Tony, by the way." He said when his back was turned, filling a mug with good fresh coffee before walking back over to the table, patting a sleeping/switched off Dummy's claw as he stepped past him, "Want to tell me why you came down here now?"

Bucky hesitated, looked down at his lap for a long moment before taking a deep breath and raising his head again to find Tony's eyes, "I want to thank you." And that had not been what Tony had expected.  
"Thank me? For what?" he asked in almost shock, coffee mug held in mid air, eyes fixed on Bucky.  
"Being what Steve needed to keep going." Bucky answered, voice getting stronger and more sure as he held eye contact, "For catching him before he could have given up."

"Woah, Buckaroo, I think you got the wrong person here. Wilson and Natasha..." but Bucky shook his head quickly, stopping Tony's protest.  
"No. They helped after DC, but before? Steve was drowning, and you caught him. He told me, over being lost after New York was over, over not knowing what to do, about being so lonely it hurt. And then you came, grabbed his hand and gave him a friend before it could have gotten worse. You're the reason I still had a friend who could save me, so let me thank you."

Tony swallowed heavily, tried almost physically to push the memories of that time back into the place of his head where they could rot, it was over, they were both better now, and instead he reached again for his ultimate favourite weapon. Letting his eyes portray how much he accepted that thank you, he leaned down and set the mug down on he table, begging Bucky closer with a crooked finger.

"Did Capsicle already tell you about the time he jumped out of a plane without a parachute? Or no, no no, did he tell you about the time he nearly faceplanted off the roof of my fucking tower because he couldn't keep his big fat curious ass from sitting down on a non existent railing?" Tony offered and Bucky's eyes lightened up again, mouth curling into a challenging smirk.  
"Did you know Steve has an Iron Man plushie in his closet?" Bucky hit back and had Tony gaping, "Yes, hidden under some hideous black leather pants." And Tony's jaw hit the floor, whereas Bucky started laughing, mood successfully saved.

"You're pulling my leg here."

"No, I am not, I swear. I would never lie about something that serious." Bucky played the affronted act very convincingly and Tony took another huge sip of coffee.  
"Captain America hides leather pants? I think my life just got purpose." Tony whispered more in his mug than out loud but super soldier ears heard anyway and Bucky smirked even more devious.  
"That what does it for you? Mysterious leather pants wrapped around a cute little Iron Man plushie? Come on, man, you would take that baby face over this ripped old self?" A hand got dragged down a hoodie clad chest and Tony snorted.

"Maybe I like my mouthy smartasses blond and patriotic." Tony quipped back and Bucky grinned, leaning back on the chair, "Firm chest, chiseled abs, thin waist, amazing butt. I got taste, Barnes."  
"Oh, that's how you wanna play it? You don't like a piece of this?" Bucky wanted to know and leered at him, Tony threw another arrowhead at him. Bucky caught that one as well, "I'm way hotter than little Stevie could ever dream of."

"Barton's little hero worship got way too much into your head already, but I admit, I like that ego." Tony smirked and Bucky rolled his eyes.  
"Clint's got nothing to do with this." Bucky defended himself and it was Tony's turn to smirk.  
"Sure, you tell yourself that, Roboman. I see this going down a very interesting path, two awesome handsome brunets protecting their idiotic stupid reckless blonds. We should found a club, I'll bring the shirts."

"You're just too modest to tell about your wet dreams about this sucker?" Bucky drawled, all beautiful Brooklyn back alley boy, holding up the metal hand and waving with spread fingers.   
"That sucker behaving?" Tony didn't let himself be pulled down that road and the look in stormy blue eyes told him that Bucky had seen his evading tactic. Bucky wriggled the fingers some more, turning his eyes upon the arm that Tony had fixed as best as he could without any proper preparations that first day of Bucky being with them.

Now he was already working on some better updates.

"Yeah, it's great, no more delay, feels better." Bucky admitted and Tony grinned in full satisfaction, "Clint said you're already working on some new stuff?" came the follow up question and Tony held up a finger, pulling up the hologram with his other hand and telling Friday to bring up Bucky's file.

He lost himself in tech talk for a while then, explained the things he had already planned through and the things he had in mind that could also be useful. And he would have felt bad about zoning out like that if Bucky hadn't watched and listened with curious warm eyes and rapid attention, asking questions then and now. 

And somehow, twenty minutes later Tony snapped back out of that creating mind space and found himself sitting cross-legged on the workshoptable, across from Bucky in a similar position, metal arm held up in the air between them, the scanner in Tony's hand slowly running up to the elbow.  
"Language?!" Bucky was in the process of snickering past his lips, "He really said that? Over comms? Steve fucking Rogers is complaining about swears? For real?"  
"Apparently it slipped out." Tony chuckled himself, checking over the images on his tablet before nodding and setting the scanner down, Bucky rolled down the sleeve again.

"Wow, I can't believe it. I've never known anyone who curses as much as Steve." Bucky snarked and Tony grinned, dropping the tablet into his lap and propping his hands up behind his butt.  
"I like this, tell me more." he pleaded and Bucky hummed, tapping a metal finger against his lips, Tony had seen that gesture before, Clint had spilled coffee all over his crotch in the next second.

Tony had been too distracted then by the bubbling laugh that had burst past Steve's lips to think about metal fingers and ruby lips. And even now his mind was way too preoccupied still with the frigging leather pants in Steve's closet to have any kind of reaction to it.

"Say...you got any interest in pranking good old Stevio?"

"Bring it on, Stark."

\--

When Steve found them hours later, a still bleary eyed half asleep Clint trudging into the room behind him and making a direct beeline for the couch where Bucky was holding a steaming cup of coffee, Dummy chirping happily at his feet, Tony nearly threw himself over the worktable to close the hologram files projected above it.

Smiling innocently Tony masked his stumble by leaning on arm arm, all lecherous eyes and full lips puckered, Steve rolled his eyes at him and walked over, blue eyes still suspicious but apparently happy to ignore all potential mischief.  
"Probably don't wanna know, am I right?" He asked and cross his arms over his chest, looking from a still leering Tony over to Bucky who ignored him completely in favor of glaring at Clint who had just ripped the coffee out of his hands.

"Probably yes." Tony agreed and got back to his feet, straightening out his shirt and then shrugged when Steve pulled a screw out of his hair with raised eyebrows. Bucky let out a loud snort and then coughed over it when Steve glared at him, switching his focus quickly back towards the archer stumbling over his own feet next to him, too many limbs trying to sit down at the same time.

"You had a good night?" Tony questioned and Steve gave him the diversion, nodding he leaned against the table.  
"Slept like a baby." The blond super soldier spoke up and Tony's tongue took over before his head could have stopped him.  
"Anything cute to cuddle at night?" He quipped and Steve's head snapped towards Bucky so quickly, Tony could hear at least three bones crack with the movement.

"You're a fucking traitor, Barnes." Steve yelled loudly, but Bucky only laughed, taking his coffee back from a whining and pouting Clint to get one last sip himself. Clint chose that moment to blink into awareness, opening his mouth to probably ask what was going on, but Bucky made a zip it motion with his left hand and Clint clapped his mouth shut again.

"You know, you two bonding and teaming up against me is like my worst nightmare and the best thing ever. Continue."

They should have probably not exchanged a grin that dark and devious following that statement but Tony thought it was damn worth it to see Steve smile that bright. Everything was worth it if it made Steve smile like that, because it made his heart skip that special beat, and Barnes looked just that little bit melted as well.


End file.
